GPS-Mapping-Software Reviews

I have found this product to be an invaluable navigation resource for my Garmin E-map. Even residential areas are very well covered. The maps may be five years old but they have proven to be accurate in my NorthEastern US travels.

This package gives you the maps and enough memory to hold maps of New York State, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. With proper use, I've always been able to head in the right direction.

I think this is a high quality product. If you have a Garmin E-Map and use it for city navigation, I think you will appreciate it.

Its a must have if you are using garmin emap. Once you download the data from the cd rom into the memory cartridge you are ready to roll. Expect to see the whole area on the small screen. I would say with out the mapsource and the cartridge (which you have to have inorder to download the data) the emap is not complete. If you are willing to invest the money then i would suggest to get either the 16 mb or much better the 32 mb cartridge.

You must own this if you use a GPS in the city. This software works on your computer for exploring any street in the nation, and the data can be uploaded to the GPS unit and placed on the card. This allows you to use the data in conjunction with real time position information on the GPS. The software is great, and the road data is very accurate. If you want to go hiking or camping get the topo or roads and rec maps.

The Garmin "Bluecharts" are vector charts, which means they use mathematic algorithms to store all the lines and features of a nautical chart. I have steered away from these in the past because they tended to give up a lot of detail vs. "Raster Graphic" charts, which are essentially photographic images of paper charts.

With "Bluecharts" they have gotten to a level of detail (including multiple colors) that they look almost as good as a paper charts. The advantages of vector charts is that they take up much less room on your hard drive and run much faster on a PC. This is important when you are zooming in and out to see your depth or proximity to a wreck while moving on a boat.

I use mine with an eTrex Legend and am able to load most of the detail (depth, obstructions, nautical aids, etc) onto the handheld. For the full look of charts, I connect the GPS unit to my laptop. The package also includes tidal charts, which are much more detailed and accurate than the little tide chart booklets I used to use. Overall, it makes navigation a breeze...your boat is automatically represented on the chart and you have many simple tools to calculate distance/time to a given destination. It also incorporates additional information on Marinas and service locations.

The Garmin application the charts run on, "MapSource" allows you to easily switch between map types. I have "Americas Bluechart," "MetroGuide" (streetmaps), and "Tides and Marine Services," all without having to reconnnect the GPS unit.

The only hassle is the "Unlock" process, which is a bit time consuming and involves providing the Garmin website with a bunch of codes, including the serial number of my GPS unit to unlock a set of charts from the CD-ROM. I'm not sure, but I think it will only work with that specific unit, which worries me a bit as I am thinking about buying a second unit for backup.

I'll cut right to the chase--if you have a Garmin GPS unit that is MapSource compatible, and use it on the ocean, buy this CD! Garmin's Water Ways & Lights CD is a total joke compared to the BlueChart CD. The level of detail is an exact duplication of NOAA paper charts--very, very accurate and very, very detailed. I use this software with my GPSMAP 162, and the only drawback is that with the detail level set to high, it slows the screen redraw rate down considerably. but, when you're actually on the water, this isn't even noticeable. Bottom line--this is a great product.

Awesome product.
The ability to see individual topo sheets is very useful, as is the ability to create custom seamed maps.
Dowloads of GPS waypoints to the computer, and the upload of GPS points fron the computer to the GPS unit is easy.
Customer support is phenomenal! They resopond quickly and personally answer your questions and even take recommendations on what might be nice additions for future updates (such as a Baja map set, or the addition of other datums besides NAD27)

I can't say enough about this product! The best mapping software out there

Awesome product.
The ability to see individual topo sheets is very useful, as is the ability to create custom seamed maps.
Dowloads of GPS waypoints to the computer, and the upload of GPS points fron the computer to the GPS unit is easy.
Customer support is phenomenal! They resopond quickly and personally answer your questions and even take recommendations on what might be nice additions for future updates (such as a Baja map set, or the addition of other datums besides NAD27)

I can't say enough about this product! The best mapping software out there

Awesome product.
The ability to see individual topo sheets is very useful, as is the ability to create custom seamed maps.
Dowloads of GPS waypoints to the computer, and the upload of GPS points fron the computer to the GPS unit is easy.
Customer support is phenomenal! They resopond quickly and personally answer your questions and even take recommendations on what might be nice additions for future updates (such as a Baja map set, or the addition of other datums besides NAD27)

I can't say enough about this product! The best mapping software out there

Awesome product.
The ability to see individual topo sheets is very useful, as is the ability to create custom seamed maps.
Dowloads of GPS waypoints to the computer, and the upload of GPS points fron the computer to the GPS unit is easy.
Customer support is phenomenal! They resopond quickly and personally answer your questions and even take recommendations on what might be nice additions for future updates (such as a Baja map set, or the addition of other datums besides NAD27)

I can't say enough about this product! The best mapping software out there

Awesome product.
The ability to see individual topo sheets is very useful, as is the ability to create custom seamed maps.
Dowloads of GPS waypoints to the computer, and the upload of GPS points fron the computer to the GPS unit is easy.
Customer support is phenomenal! They resopond quickly and personally answer your questions and even take recommendations on what might be nice additions for future updates (such as a Baja map set, or the addition of other datums besides NAD27)

I can't say enough about this product! The best mapping software out there

Awesome product.
The ability to see individual topo sheets is very useful, as is the ability to create custom seamed maps.
Dowloads of GPS waypoints to the computer, and the upload of GPS points fron the computer to the GPS unit is easy.
Customer support is phenomenal! They resopond quickly and personally answer your questions and even take recommendations on what might be nice additions for future updates (such as a Baja map set, or the addition of other datums besides NAD27)

I can't say enough about this product! The best mapping software out there

Awesome product.
The ability to see individual topo sheets is very useful, as is the ability to create custom seamed maps.
Dowloads of GPS waypoints to the computer, and the upload of GPS points fron the computer to the GPS unit is easy.
Customer support is phenomenal! They resopond quickly and personally answer your questions and even take recommendations on what might be nice additions for future updates (such as a Baja map set, or the addition of other datums besides NAD27)

I can't say enough about this product! The best mapping software out there

Awesome product.
The ability to see individual topo sheets is very useful, as is the ability to create custom seamed maps.
Dowloads of GPS waypoints to the computer, and the upload of GPS points fron the computer to the GPS unit is easy.
Customer support is phenomenal! They resopond quickly and personally answer your questions and even take recommendations on what might be nice additions for future updates (such as a Baja map set, or the addition of other datums besides NAD27)

I can't say enough about this product! The best mapping software out there